Device for throwing at will projectiles from aircraft



Nov. 25, 1930. F. w. VAN HEIJST 1,733,145

DEVICE FOR THHOWING AT WILL PRQJECTILES FROM AIRCRAFT Filed Jan. 20, 1930 .172 men tor."

Patented Nov. 25, 1930.

PATENT OFFICE FRANCISCUS WILHELMUS VAN HEIJ'ST, OF THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNOR '10 COMMANDITAIRE VENNOOTSCHAP: J. B. VAN HEIJ' ST & ZONEN, OF THE HAGUE,

NETHERLANDS DEYQECE FOR THRO'WING AT WILL IEROJ'ECTILES AIRCRAFT Application filed January 20, 1930,8erial No. 428,158, and in the Netherlands February 13, 1929.

0 in succession at regular relatively short distances, which distances have to be chosen so, that the spheres of action of the successive projectiles cover each other partly, so that an unsafe area is caused which is to be an 5 ranged over the mark to be hit.

A further purpose of the invention is the construction of a device by means of which only one single projectile may be thrown at any point of time, or some projectiles at ir- :0 regular distances to be chosen at will.

The application of the invention enables the crew of the aircraftwhen the butt to be hit comes in sight-to adjust the device beforehand at will, either on the number of projectiles to be thrown in succession and the mutual distances at which the said projectiles should be thrown, or on the projectiles to be thrown at points of time to be chosen at will. After that the switch apparatus may be operated by one single motion of the hand, so that consequently the throwing of the projectiles occurs purely automatically.

According to the invention this is achieved by the fact, that a clockwork by means of a free wheel mechanism actuates a contact arm which in succession touches a series of contacts being placed in a circle, while simultaneously with the actuation of the clockwork the current supply line to the contact arm is closed, so that current circuits are formed which actuate the throwing devices belonging to each contact and whereby at the same time the contact arm may be adjusted by the free wheel mechanism in every position desired, while the clockwork may be wound up by rotating the contact arm in a reverse direction to the movement of the clockwork.

An embodiment of a switch device according to the invention is illustrated in the drawmg.

The switch device comprises some groups of contacts being arranged in a circle, each of said contacts being electrically connected with a number of throwing devices in such a way that in case current is supplied to the said contacts, the throwing devices in question are put into action. The drawing illustrates three groups of contacts, viz. the contacts 1-5, 6-10 and 11-15. In each group the contacts are arranged in equal spaced relation, while the mutual distances of the contacts of the one group differ from those of the other group.

It is obvious that also a plurality of groups of contacts may be applied and that each group may comprise another number of contacts.

In the central point of the circle in which the contacts are arranged there is a driving mechanism, e. g. a clockwork 16, which by means of a free-wheel mechanism 17 may actuate a contact arm 18. In case the clockwork rotates in the direction of the arrow 19, the contact arm 18 successively turns along the groups of contacts. The clockwork 16 is actuated by a lever 20 which in the position shown in dotted lines prevents the clockwork from running down, while in the position of the lever drawn in full lines the clockwork begins to move. On the lever 20 a contact 21 is arranged which in the position, drawn in full lines, makes contact with the contact arm 18 at the same time as the clock begins to move, so that in case the current is supplied at the pivoting point of the lever, the current is led via the contact 21, the contact arm 18 and one of the contacts 115 to the corresponding throwing-device and puts it into action. The clockwork 16 is wound up by rotating the contact arm 18 in the reverse dimotion to the arrow 19.

. In case the butt to be hit comes in sight, the crew can adjust the contact-arm 18 by means of the free wheel mechanism 17 on any contact of one of the groups. In the moment that the projectiles should be thrown, the operator has only to move the lever 20 from the position drawn in dotted lines into the position drawn in full lines, by which the clockwork is unlocked which catches the contact arm 18 and moves this arm along the concerning group of contacts. Simultaneousl with putting into operation the clockwor the current is supplied to the contactarm via the contact 21, so that when the contacts are touched in succession the corresponding throwing devices are operated and the projectiles are thrown ofl".

The distances at which the projectiles are thrown are arranged by the distances between the contacts of each grou in connection with the uniform rotation o the contact arm 18. At every moment that in the opinion of the operator a sufilcient number of projectiles has been thrown off, by returnin the lever 20 into its position drawn in dotte lines the clockwork may be stopped and the current supply to the contact arm interru ted.

11 case only one projectile has to be thrown, the contact arm 18 is adjusted on the corresponding contact and after this the lever 20 is moved from the dotted to the drawn position and returned in its original position so rapidly that the rotating contact arm was not yet in a osition to reach the next contact so that on y the desired projectile is thrown. In case for any reason some projectiles should be thrown at irregular distances to be chosen at will, so the operation described hereabove for one singleprojectile should be performed by the operator at the desired moments, at every turn for another contact.

I claim 1. A device for throwing at will projectiles from aircraft, characterized in this, that the device comprises a number of groups of contacts bein placed in a circle, said contacts being touched in succession by a contact-arm so that an electrical current circuit to the corresponding throwing device is actuated and whereby the contacts of each group are spaced apart at equal distances, while the mutual distances of the contacts of one group differ from those of another group.

2. A device according to claim 1, charac terized in this, that the contact arm is actuated by a clockwork by means of a free wheel mechanism by which it is possible to adjust the contact-arm on any contact desired, said clockwork being unlocked by moving'a lever by hand, whereby simultaneously with putting into operation the clockwork, the current is supplied to the contact arm and whereby the clockwork is wound up by rotating the contact arm in a reverse direction to the direction of rotation of the clockwork.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANCISCUS WILHELMUS van HEIJST. 

